Welcome Home
by PsychologyGeek81
Summary: Juliette and Warner discuss how much they missed each other after she returns home from her first business trip. Rated T for implied content.


**Author's note: This follows on from the previous one shot I posted. All of my one shots will be posted in a chronological order.**

With my eyes flickering to the ceiling, I struggle to catch my breath as I feel the impact of Warner falling against the mattress beside me, my chest rising and falling heavily as hot, uneven breaths hit the curve of my neck. I run my hand through his hair, twining the strands with my fingers as his head rests just beside my shoulder, not quite ready to move. My breathing and heartbeat begin to slow, allowing me to focus on the warm contentment pumping through my veins before crawling under the covers.

The space under the covers is cold, at first sending a chill through my body before quickly becoming soothing against the warm ache in my muscles. I lay stretched out on my stomach, my face falling into the pillows with a dull thump as they catch me, puffing out around my head like I'm resting on a cloud. A long, blissful sigh escapes from my mouth as I savor the softness surrounding my skin. If I closed my eyes right now I might fall asleep. I could probably even picture myself floating away.

The mattress dips beside me again as Warner finally joins me under the sheets, resting on his side with one arm folded under his head. I peer up at him, half of my face obscured by pillows. His cheeks hold a faint rosy tint, dimples showing as a slow smile spreads across his face. His eyes shine a soft shade of emerald, staring fondly through strands of disheveled hair. He looks so lazy, so happy.

"Welcome home, love," he breathes, tracing lines down my back with one hand. I relax into his touch, one more addition to the list of things making me feel so content that I could drift away.

"It feels so good to be back," I confess, and it really did. I didn't fully realize just how much I wanted to come home until we were on our way back to the base and my heart was hammering in anticipation. And now that I am back in my bed, back in Warner's arms, I can't think of wanting to be anywhere else ever again.

"It feels even better to have you back, I was missing you terribly," he admits, quiet tenderness lacing his voice. I inch closer, bringing one hand up to touch his chest.

"I missed you too," I say, my voice barely a whisper. "I missed you a lot." He brings his face down to mine, pressing a light kiss to my forehead, temple, making his way down my face until his lips touch mine briefly before he pulls away, rolling onto his back.

I scoot over to him, placing my head on his shoulder as the arm that was previously tucked underneath him curls around me. I drape one leg over his hip as he lifts his chin to rest it against the top of my head. I'm almost purring with happiness.

"How was your trip?" Warner asks after a few moments of peaceful silence, kissing the top of my head.

"It went well. They're going to side with us and support our effort," I explain lazily, thinking over the important parts in my head. "But it does mean I'm going to be taking trips out there more often."

"I'm sure we can survive a few nights away from each other occasionally," he says, although I'm not sure how convinced he is. Granted that this was our first time being separated for a week since being together but I doubt that I'm going to miss him any less with the next few trips, and I'm not sure who he would be trying to fool if he said that he would feel differently. I laugh, knowing that even he probably knew that idea was wishful thinking.

"Four nights away and I could hardly stand it," I point out, craning my neck to look at him. I shoot him a questioning glare, daring him to disagree with me. A conceding look meets my gaze, he knows I'm right.

"It was unbearable," he groans, twisting onto his side so his face is inches from mine. "I kept thinking that you would be there, somehow, when I woke up. Worrying for a second when you weren't before realizing," he explains, hints of warmth and longing softening his voice. I touch his cheek, remembering when he confessed to worrying I would be gone every morning once when he thought I was asleep.

"I missed you beside me as I slept. Empty beds are so cold," I state, snuggling closer against him. He kisses my lips once, so lightly, before bringing one hand up to touch my face, brushing his fingers delicately over my cheek.

"I missed holding you, touching your skin," he murmurs, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Everywhere smelled like you, it was driving me crazy," he confesses, his voice low, lips just grazing my skin. I feel a stab of empathy, I had taken one of his t shirts to sleep in and clinging to what little of his scent I had made me ache for home much more.

"The rooms there smelled so clean, so unfamiliar, it made me miss home even more," I continue, wrinkling my nose in discontent, recalling that they smelled more like a medical wing than a guest suite. A soft chuckle rises from Warner's throat before he presses his lips softly against mine.

"You're home now," he whispers into the corner of my mouth, sending a shiver down my spine and causing a sigh to escape from my lips.

"And I couldn't think of anything better," I beam, kissing him firmly on the lips before rolling over to my other side, resting my back against him. Warner pulls me closer towards him, wrapping one arm tightly around my waist and tangling our legs. His lips just graze my shoulder.

"I love you," he murmurs against my skin, almost kissing the words. His warm breath causes my eyes to flutter shut and a sigh to slip past my lips. I pull his arm tighter around me, lacing my fingers with his.

"I love you too," I whisper.

We lay like that in silence for a while, the only movements being the occasional squeeze of our hands and his lips moving like feathers over my skin, planting delicate kisses. I can feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes, focusing on that rhythm as the moments float by. I think of how much I longed for this whilst I was away, just to be wrapped in his arms like nothing else mattered, feeling the satisfying glow of contentment in my chest now that I had him again.

"I dreamt about you, once," Warner's soft voice breaks the silence. I open my eyes, rolling over slightly to face him.

"Interesting, do share," I reply, intrigued.

"You were here," he begins, settling his mouth against my forehead as I get comfortable on his chest. "We were just lying together, peacefully, uninterrupted, like we had all the time in the world. And you were so happy, you felt so real. Waking up from that dream was truly disappointing," He explains, slowly, softly, so I can hear the tenderness in his voice, the pain. Like it physically wounded him when he realized that it was just a dream, like I had shattered into dust between his fingertips. I shoot him an empathetic smile, trailing my hands down his chest before resting them just below his ribs.

"I almost did," I begin to explain, remembering the faint sliver of a dream about him that had almost comforted me in his absence. "But then Kenji the human alarm clock came and woke me up." While most of the time I love my best friend like a brother, there are occasions when I genuinely want to throw him through a wall, and considering that he spent two hours snoring in my ear on the jet home, my current attitude towards him was leaning more towards the wall. Warner laughs, shoulders shaking beneath my head.

"Well at least we no longer have to dream being with each other," he says, followed by an amused sigh as his breathing slowed.

"True," I agree lazily.

"And we have these next few hours together uninterrupted," Warner reminds me, his voice low, hot breath and his lips beside my ear causing shivers to race across my skin.

"Just what I needed," I sigh, snuggling in closer.

"Me too," he whispers before a slow, drawn out breath escapes from his lips. "You have no idea how much I needed this," he adds with a rare softness as he shifts beside me until we're lying face to face. His emerald eyes pierce me, roaming over my face once as he tucks my hair behind my ear but never losing my attention. I feel drawn to them, their warmth, like I can't look away. I barely notice his hand move to my waist as he places a kiss to my lips.

"But words cannot accurately describe how much I missed you," Warner begins, wrapping my thigh around his hip and pulling me flush against him. His face is inches from mine, eyes suddenly much darker. The early signs of a grin tug at the corners of his mouth as he drinks in my features. "I think that it would be much more appropriate to show you," His attention falls to my lips as a flash of heat pulses through me as sharp as an electric shock. I swallow, thinking of something to say as my mind starts to lose its concentration.

"Then show me," I manage to whisper, and he wastes no time in crashing his lips to mine, pulling me as close against him as I can possibly be. The moment then dissolves into a dizzying torrent of hands and lips, labored breathing and hammering hearts. Everything else just falls out of existence as the seconds turn to minutes and I know that my welcome home is far from over.


End file.
